Part 3 Project 3 Ex 1 & 2 Reflection

I am required to reflect on the last two exercises and there are four points for me to consider.

Ex 1 - Wintry Landscape

Ex 2 - Trent Valley Pylons

How did you simplify and select?  Were you able to focus on simple shapes and patterns amid all the visual information available to you?

I used my viewfinder to make my selections.  My part of the country is very flat and at first I was unsure how to make an interesting composition. I found things like the tree and the blue bale of hay made a focal point and were balanced by the poles carrying cables.  In Wintry Landscape the watercolour I used forced me to think in blocks of shape.  I didn't draw trees or hedges I simply made marks that looked like them.

How did you create a sense of distance and form?

In Ex 1 I used the idea of things getting smaller as they get further away.  For instance the lane and the poles seem to recede into the distance.  I used marks to depict landmarks and colour to shape things a bit.  The lane was very wet and I used a little Payne's Grey on a brush that I rolled across the paper to leave white patches that look like the wet tarmac.

Were you able to use light and shade successfully?

I struggled with this a bit.  The weather was generally dreary so there was not much by way of clear shadows. However, I noticed that the bottom of the hedges was usually much darker than the top and indentation on the ground gave a darker tone (tractor tyre marks Ex 2).

What additional preliminary work would have been helpful towards the larger study?

I felt very hampered by the weather during this work.  It would have been lovely to work outside much more.  My water soluble pencils didn't arrive until my work was finished so I still have to play with them and see what they can do.